What historical period dominates the (interpretive) landscape, and which are sorely absent?

I'm conservative in my definition of the Shenandoah Valley, and look more at the area that is the watershed, as the Valley. Lexington and Rockbridge County fall outside the watershed, but fit culturally. Points further south of this, however, just don't... to me... fit the culture of this area, but have a culture defined more to that particular area. Image from Wikipedia.

As I drive nearly the entire stretch of the Shenandoah Valley (excepting the West Virginia counties of Berkeley and Jefferson), at least four days a week, I pass various sites of interests. Few, actually, are marked with any indication of their stories… though I’m aware of the stories for most of them. I suspect many folks ride by most of these and say, something to the effect… “what a charming old place”, and leave it at that. Sure, I do the same thing when driving through other areas (and try, in my head, to guess the actual dates of such buildings), and, therefore, think its pretty common anywhere one goes. Likewise, from the vantage point of a local seeking to see stories told and local relevance revealed, I wonder sometimes what is absent that should not be. I also understand, however, that all places cannot be identified by interpretive signage… such signs, overdone, can be quite a distraction on the landscape. Still, as I mentioned in the title, what historical periods dominate the landscape, and which are sorely absent?

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the American Civil War dominates the Valley (in the way of interpretive sites), and, as much as I am passionate about the subject, I find it somewhat disturbing, knowing that this period only captures four years of the Valley’s history. I don’t even feel that there is a need to count how many Dept. of Historic Resources markers and the Virginia Civil War Trails markers there are, because it’s obvious how they all overwhelm any other interpretation of history here.

What sites really do tell the tale of life in the Valley, in all the years leading up to the Civil War? What is interpreted from those 120+ years after European-rooted settlers arrived here (and, what interpretation exists for those who were here before that time)?

Oddly enough, the Frontier Culture Museum, for quite sometime, had very little to do with the very thing that seems to dominate its name… “Frontier”, and more to do with the places from whence the Valley settlers came (more recently, they’ve added West African “village”). Even the 1850s farm was a transplant, coming from Botetourt County… not in the Shenandoah Valley. Yes, they do deserve credit for relocating these buildings (or, in the case of the West African huts, building them), because it was no easy process, and these things offer visitors here, in the US, an opportunity to visit European buildings that date to periods of emigration (English, German, and Irish houses are there… the English yeoman house dating to the 17th century). Also, in the past decade, the Bowman Farm, from near Timberville, and dating to the mid 1770s, has come to the museum, and offers just a little bit more about this place prior to the Civil War.

Elk Run Meeting House

Likewise, Luray Cavern’s Luray Valley Museum offers a taste of the first 100 years of European settler and descendant history (and a little about pre-Euro-rooted history), but, in my opinion, at a “cost”. Granted, the visitor gets an experience… to see a collection of stuff, in one place, but… is something missing from doing it this way? There is stuff (cool stuff… to include some very cool old buildings), and it is interpreted… but what has been lost? The answer… place.

None of these items are in the places from which they came, and therefore, there is an element that is lost, and I believe a very strong element necessary to interpretation. It’s almost like a zoo. The animals (historic buildings) are real, but a false environment has been created.

Furthermore, as in the situation with the “Page Valley Mining Company”, at the Luray Valley Museum, visitors are getting a taste of something that really didn’t exist in the Page Valley (copper mining, on the other hand, did occur, but not with California Gold Rush-type sluice), and is more there for the “wow/fun factor” for kids (and, even with adults) than anything else. The Elk Run Dunkard Meeting House, by the way, did not, as interpretation tells visitors, serve as a “barracks” for Union and Confederate soldiers. Rather, it was a stopping point for Union soldiers in different campaigns (most Union writings on the wall reflect the 1862 Valley Campaign… as Union troops marched to and/or from Port Republic), and, in the case of Confederates, more than likely it served as little more than a comfortable picket post (men from the 12th Virginia Cavalry). Look up the definition of “barracks”… sorry, but picket posts and stop-off points don’t fit the definition. I’m very aware of the history of the graffiti on the walls of the old meeting house, and having carefully cross-referenced unit designations on the wall with troop movements in the area made it clear to me… not a barracks. Trying hard not to digress… so, moving on…

In the case of historic markers, however, they often interpret the historic buildings… at the actual sites… well, for the most part. The Fort Philip Long marker, within site of the Luray Caverns, for example, offers interpretation with the actual Ft. Philip Long not being anywhere nearby. It’s simply a marker telling a story about a place that nobody can see (without permission from the landowner… since it is on private property, approx. 6 miles to the south).

On the other hand, we have the Catherine Furnace marker, the White House & White House Bridge markers, and the Ruffner House marker, (and many others which I’d be happy to list, perhaps at another time, to include markers in major population hubs throughout the Valley), which both do interpretive good, at the actual sites. But, oh, hold on…! With the exception of the White House, and, a little bit for Catherine Furnace, these, once again, are markers focused mainly on the Civil War.

Luray's "slave block"... at least interpreted as such... though history may have revealed that it was something quite to the contrary. Image from the Historical Markers Database

And <… sigh… >, we also have interpretive markers that may not actually be telling us the truth (which is a shame, considering such markers are, I believe, mostly believed by visitors as revealing true stories about place), and were put in place by those not so much concerned with history. The “Slave Auction Block” marker, at Luray, tells a tale that is questionable at best… and I say this knowing the history of the block as documented from the early 20th century, and am able to cite provenance (I’ve been meaning to write about this, at length, for some time, so, I will be writing about this block, very soon, in another blog post). It’s not that I don’t think we should interpret sites relating to slavery. No, quite on the contrary… and that’s part of my motivation for part of the title to this blog post… interpretation that is “sorely absent”. In lieu of the marker (at least as it currently reads) for the block, I would have much rather preferred a marker at a site just south of Luray, at a place where a slave auction (in 1856) has been documented as having taken place. No… no auction block exists… but the place… no more than land on which it occurred… where these heart-wrenching scenes unfolded… is still there. After all…

Finding myself dangerously close to going off track, let me wrap-up by getting back to a key question that I raised, and still stands…

What is interpreted from those 120+ years, after European-rooted settlers laid foot here (and at the actual sites)?

True, we have a few places, such as Green Meadows (Adam Miller), Washington’s Office, Belle Grove, and Abram’s (Abraham Hollingsworth) Delight… and even the Burwell-Morgan Mill. But these represent a fraction of the sites, which are comparatively much less than the number of interpreted sites (without any buildings) in this same area, for the Civil War. We’ve got much, without interpretation, here that tells us a wide range of stories, still within the context of place, and beyond the limited scope of memory that centers on the Civil War. Aren’t the years before and after just as important? How many come here… and leave here… with misconceptions of the people and the place that existed here, in years before the Civil War? Do we care? Do they care? Granted, if they want to know, they can refer to books, but, why shouldn’t we engage people through interpretation… more than what we have? Would we not benefit from, oh, say… a series of Virginia Backcountry Markers?

Because there isn’t really much at all (and nothing, actually, on the landscape, whatsoever, that tells us about the people here before Europeans arrived), to me it seems the interpretive history of the Valley is incredibly slanted, hard, in one direction. Regretfully, our interpretive history IS off-balance, here in the Valley.

Good post bringing up a lot of interesting points around a common theme. Drove on US 11 north through Shenandoah County today; every time I pass Narrow Passage south of Woodstock I notice the state historic marker there, remembering years ago when it was originally titled “Last Indian Outrage” instead of today’s “Last Indian-Settler Conflict“. It’s not politically correct, but I think the original title may actually be more accurate of what happened. The term “conflict” suggests something other than a surprise attack and massacre. We ought to re-examine our interpretation of the French & Indian War/Pontiac’s Rebellion period in the Shenandoah Valley.

I think you’re right, that marker does suggest something that wasn’t necessarily the case. Since the attack on the Sheetz & Taylor families occured in 1766, it was more of a singular event, and not really part of a particular “conflict”. Even Pontiac’s War had wrapped-up well before that date (two years before).

Interesting post. I just had a conversation with my wife about the museum stock in Lancaster County and some of the other Pennsylvania counties in which we’ve lived. We concluded that we have some really good museums for the colonial period, the early 1800s, and everything after the Civil War, but the 1810s into the 1850s is basically missing.

That’s somewhat sad as that time period is crucial for understanding the Civil War as it was the formative time of those who had wealth and power during the 1860s. The railroad’s advent and many other revolutionary industrial developments make it a fascinating time. Plus, I think the BBC’s Cranford did a great job of engaging the 1830s/1840s and showing how interesting of a time period it can be.

I wonder, perhaps, if these things are developed more around what some folks think is marketable as items that play on existing interests of people, and not so much concerning themselves trying to develop tourism from the ground-level up, and trying to create an interest among potential tourists. It does appear to be more difficult to create interests in people, and much easier to tap into existing interests.

I have to say that, though the Virginia Civil War Trails markers are centrally focused on the American Civil War, sidebar content can cover other ground. In the markers for which I wrote text, I thought it was sometimes necessary to set context… and not always context within the timeframe of the war, but in an effort to show life as it was around a place, before the war.

One of my favorite CW books is James E. Taylor’s sketchbook of the 1864 Valley Campaign, not just because of the art, and the on the scene correspondent reporting, but because Taylor was a history buff, and took time out to draw historic buildings and places and give fascinating historical anecdotes about them, from an 1864 perspective! It could be an interesting place to start looking for markers. How else would I have found out about Wizard’s Clip ? Joseph Barry writes about the legend in his book, The Strange Story of Harper’s Ferry, but I think Taylor was more of a ‘believer.’
Hope this comment is relatively on topic.

Thanks, Brad. I’m not so sure this meshes with my post, as I’m really saying that I think there is an imbalance of Civil War related markers in the Valley, and a neglect for other periods. On one hand, I love the increase in interpretive markers, providing details about events not otherwise interpreted in buildings and landscapes. Yet, as a Valley historian, aware of a larger history of area, it’s concerning that other periods seem to be left in the dust in this great rush to interpret more of the Civil War.

That being said, however, seeing your mention of Taylor, I have to say, his artwork has been used extensively in the Virginia Civil War Trails markers in the Valley, likely because the works offer “living” imagery of events as they happened (in the absence of photographs, or nothing more than text describing the same).

I was referencing all the revolutionary war sites Taylor mentions in the sketchbook. He also gives the history of certain buildings in the small towns. He visited Daniel Morgans grave, the home of Charles Lee, the story of White Post, there is a running commentary on valley history. He really was a history buff and its noted in his sketchbook.

Just to be a bit more specific, in the beginning of his narrative he visits Charlestown and tells how it was named for George Washington’s brother. He sketches Charles home “Happy Retreat” from the road; also “The Virginia House” at Berryville, scene of Dan Morgan’s frequent bar-room brawls which gave the town the nick name of “Battletown. He sketched Old Chapel and relates its history dating to 1790, with details provided from Bishop Meades book “Ministers and People of the Valley;” He discusses Lord Fairfax’s early presence in the valley and the two mansions he built, Belvoir, near Mt. Vernon, and Greenway Court in the Valley, (Frederick County?) He sketched the “Overseer’s house at Greenway Court, and visited White Post a small town with an 8 foot high post Lord Fairfax placed in the road as a marker to his estate at Greenway.

He also sketched practically every toll road house and gate he passed on his journey when time permitted.

So these are just a few specific examples I pulled from from Taylor’s book. There are lots more. He went out of the way when possible to capture many of these historic sites, in addition to the Civil War images he captured as a reporter. He also detailed the common people he came across along the way – some of the populace of the time.

His history sketches are probably less well known, perhaps less regarded, but I got a good sense of valley history while reading his quirky narrative and viewing his great sketches.

I’m appreciating these comments more than you may realize, Brad. In fact, I’m now forced to go back and take a look at Taylor’s sketchbooks under a different sort of eye, and greatly looking forward to it, from that angle. Thanks again!

Its an expensive book but like I initially said, its my favorite, because of Taylor’s historical context. I am also a fan of Strother’s pre war work. I found some of it at the Shadow of the Valley website. (If that is the correct name of the site) He was another great artist commentator.